Shadows of the World » Band of Brothers

24: Unable are the Loved

"Unable are the Loved to die
For Love is Immortality..."
- Emily Dickinson, Unable are the Loved to Die

-

Alexis slammed the front door of their house open with his shoulder as soon as he'd gotten it unlocked. Having to parachute back into England in broad daylight was less than ideal. Having to make their truck take the long way back to Aldbourne to avoid civilians lost them valuable time. The clock on the living room wall ticked away the seconds faster than they could even count them. They were running out of time.

"Put her on the sofa!" Alexis demanded. Juliette shook her head as adamantly as she was able from her place in Martin's arms.

"No! I'll stain it. We won't be able to explain away a blood stain if someone ever comes in."

"Use the kitchen table," Alexis then ordered. He barrelled through the door to the kitchen with unrivalled ferocity, sweeping everything off of the kitchen table in one fell swoop. Martin lowered Juliette onto its surface gently with the help of Thomas and William. She clutched at her side with a groan at the movement.

"Oh, God, Jules, it's bleeding so much," Thomas moaned. He began pressing his hands on top of hers with a desperate, clumsy fervour.

"Alex! What do we do?" William shouted, running a hand quickly through his hair. All he could do was watch as Juliette writhed and shook on the table whilst Thomas tried to apply as much pressure to the main wound as possible, Martin attempting to get her to hold still. 

Alexis stood off to the side watching in horror. He didn't know what to do. The medical training they'd had had been an awfully long time ago, and Juliette was usually the one to handle all of the wounds. Besides, he was sure they hadn't taught them what to do when what seemed like thousands of pieces of grenade shrapnel were buried in the patient. Oh, God, she was bleeding so much.

"We need a hospital," he finally decided, his voice firm.

Juliette lurched upwards from her horizontal position, though Martin gave her a firm shove back down. "No! You won't be able to explain it!" She paused as another tidal wave of pain crashed over her, forcing her eyes tight shut. She went limp for a few seconds on the wooden table.

Finally, she looked at Thomas with eyebrows furrowed and her mouth drawn into a frown. "You'll have to get Gene."

"Jules -" Will cut in, but Thomas shook his head.

"It's our only choice! We're all out of options, Will!"

"Who's Gene?" Alexis asked urgently.

"He's a medic for the paratroopers," Thomas explained. Juliette found Alex's eyes desperately.

"He's a friend," she told him. Alexis' inner turmoil was written plainly on his face. "We can trust him, Alex. I know we can."

"It's too risky -"

"Do you have a better idea?!"

"How do we know -"

"Thomas, do you know where to find him?" Alexis cut them all off, watching with thinly veiled terror as blood started to dot on Juliette's pale lips.

"Yes."

"Go."

Juliette couldn't have told you how long Thomas had been gone; it could have been thirty seconds or an entire year and she wouldn't have known any different. She also couldn't have told you a single thing that had happened in his absence, though when he returned she had a pillow under her head and both Martin and William were holding her hands, one on either side of her as though protecting her from any further injury.